“The Kid: The Immortal Life of Ted Williams” (Little, Brown and Company), by Ben Bradlee Jr.

Ted Williams would have loved to see his Boston Red Sox go from worst to first and capture their third championship in a decade. Arguably baseball’s greatest hitter, Williams appeared in only one World Series during his 19 years with the team, and his lackluster showing contributed to its 1946 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.